System and method for integrating issue tracking systems

ABSTRACT

Communication between a first issue tracking system and a second issue tracking system is provided. An integration platform is configured to translate an issue tracking ticket from a form recognizable by the first issue tracking system, which can be a component of a customer network, into a form recognizable by the second issue tracking system, which can be a component of a service provider network. A gateway server is provided to control communications between the integration platform and the issue tracking system of the service provider network.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

In today's highly competitive telecommunications industry, serviceproviders provide customer's with a wide variety of voice, data, andvideo services. In order to ensure that each customer's needs are met,the service providers must have the ability to promptly and efficientlyadjust a customer's service based upon the customer's changing needs andresolve problems that arise with the customer's service. Both thecustomer and the service provider may have infrastructure within theirrespective networks to track such issues (e.g., a ticketing system thatprovides a means to track such issues until resolution). However, forreasons of security and incompatibility, such issue tracking systems ofthe customer and the service provider do not communicate with oneanother, but rather are maintained as separate systems, which isinefficient and makes the systems susceptible to errors.

Therefore, there is a need for an approach that provides efficientcommunication between issue tracking systems of a services provider andits customers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various exemplary embodiments are illustrated by way of example, and notby way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings inwhich like reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a service provider network and its customers,including a system capable of integrating issue tracking systems of theservice provider and its customers, according to an exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an integration platform that integrates acustomer issue tracking system with a service provider issue trackingsystem, according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a diagram of an integration platform, according to anexemplary embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a customer-initiated process for communicationof an issue tracking ticket, according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a service provider-initiated process forcommunication of an issue tracking ticket, according an exemplaryembodiment; and

FIG. 6 is a diagram of a computer system that can be used to implementvarious exemplary embodiments.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A preferred apparatus, method, and software for integrating issuetracking systems, for example, of a service provider and one or more ofits customers. In the following description, for the purposes ofexplanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to providea thorough understanding of the preferred embodiments of the invention.It is apparent, however, that the preferred embodiments may be practicedwithout these specific details or with an equivalent arrangement. Inother instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in blockdiagram form in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the preferredembodiments of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a service provider network and its customers,including a system capable of integrating issue tracking systems of theservice provider and its customers, according to an exemplaryembodiment. FIG. 1 depicts a service provider network 101 that includesan integration platform 103 and associated gateway server 105, whichacts as an authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA) system forcustomers using the integration platform 103. By way of example, theservice provider network 101 may correspond to the infrastructure of anetwork service provider in support of any type of service, e.g., adata, voice, and/or video. While specific reference will be made hereinthereto, service provider network 101 may alternative correspond to anyenvironment that would benefit from integration of issuing trackingsystems of such a network and the networks of its customers.

In FIG. 1, the integration platform 103 acts as an interface for issuetracking system(s) of one or more customers to communicate with an issuetracking system (or service provider ticket system) 107 of the serviceprovider network 101. For example, the interface can be in form of aportal or work in conjunction with a portal. The customer network(s) andthe integration platform 103 communicate via one or more communicationpaths 121.

It is noted that network service providers are invariably presented withvarious infrastructure issues related to repairing lost connections,maintaining existing facilities, and upgrading resources, not to mentioncontinually attempting to provision new accounts and new services fortheir customers. This inevitably leads to an amount of both expected andunexpected fluctuations in workload demands. As networks geographicallyexpand and grow more technologically advanced, it is becoming a rathercomplex and onerous task to ensure and supply the right amount oftechnicians with the appropriate amount of resources (i.e., an enabledworkforce) to meet workload demands. Given this prevalence, geographicdispersion, and continual expansion of modern networks, it is becomingevermore challenging for service providers to delicately balance pendingand/or predicted jobs (i.e., workload) with technician and/or equipment(i.e., workforce) availability. Moreover, this task is exacerbated bythe inherently variable, sometimes unforeseeable nature ofservice-oriented workloads.

Not only do network service providers have to be reactive and proactiveto problems that arise with the services provided to their customers,but also customers needs may constantly be changing, which requiresproviders perform adjustment to the services provided. In order to keeptrack of various issues that arise, typically both customers and serviceproviders have developed systems that track such issues, sometimesreferred to as “trouble ticket systems.” Thus, when an issue arises,whether it be related to a problem with the service provided, or anadjustment that the customer desires, a “ticket” will be issued thatwill be used to keep tracking of the issue until resolution of theissue. However, for reasons of security, a network service provider maynot want to grant customers access to its network to directlycommunicate with the network service provider's issue tracking system.Also, the issue tracking systems of the one or more customers aretypically incompatible with the issue tracking system of the serviceprovider.

As shown, an integration platform 103 is provided that, along with othercomponents, allow the issue tracking system of one or more customers tocommunicate efficiently with the issue tracking system of the networkservice provider, in order to ensure that both issue tracking systemsare promptly notified of issues that arise and responses to such issues.The exemplary service provider network 101 shown in FIG. 1 includesworkforce management system 109 and a provisioning system 111, which areeach utilized to address and respond to issues raised by one or morecustomers of the service provider network 101. The workforce managementsystem 109 and provisioning system 111 will be utilized upon receipt andissuance of a “trouble ticket” by the ticket tracking system 107, andthese systems will provide feedback to the ticket tracking system 107indicating a response to the issue raised in the trouble ticket, andthus the ticket tracking system 107 will update the trouble ticket(e.g., modify the ticket, add a comment to the ticket, issue a responseto the ticket, close the ticket upon resolution of the issue, etc.)based on the response proposed or taken by these systems. For example,the workforce management system 109 can allocate the workforce(technicians, etc.) of the network service provider as needed in orderto take corrective action in response to a problem raised by the ticket,or to make infrastructure changes to the customer's network based onchanges in the customer's needs, etc. The provisioning system 111 can,for example, make changes to service allocations (e.g., bandwidthallocations, etc.) designated for the customer's network based on theissue raised in the ticket. The service provider network 101 alsoincludes a network management system 113 that manages the variousapplications of the service provider network 101.

In FIG. 1, the integration platform 103 provides an interface for issuetracking system(s) of one or more customers (e.g., customer network₁ 131. . . customer network_(N) 151) to communicate with an issue trackingsystem (or service provider ticket system) 107 of the service providernetwork 101. FIG. 1 depicts an example of a customer network₁ 131 thatincludes an issue tracking system (or customer ticket system) 133. Thecustomer network₁ 131 can be accessed and utilized by one or morecustomer entities (e.g., customer entity₁ . . . customer entity_(x)),which can represent various departments or corporate entities within thecustomer's business having one or more users, or individual users of thecustomer's network. The customer network₁ 131 includes an administratoror network management system 139, which manages the various applicationsof the customer network₁ 131. The customer network₁ 131 can also includeone or more applications 141 for use by the various customer entities.

Additionally, the customer network₁ 131 includes an inventory system (orasset management system) 143, an ordering system (or order managementsystem) 145, and a help desk (or trouble management system) 147, whichare each in communication with the customer ticket system 133. Theinventory system 143 can monitor the status of the inventory of thecustomer network₁ 131 in order to determine if changes are needed orproblems have arisen with regard to inventory that can be corrected bythe service provider. For example, the inventory system 143 can monitorthe customer's network elements, including product and serviceinventory, as well as specific details for each product and service. Theorder system 145 can provide a platform for ordering new services ormaking changes to existing services, modifying existing orders, makingchanges to orders in progress, and obtaining order status and details.The help desk 147 provides a platform for the customer to report issues,such as network faults and outages, as well as customer initiatedtesting of network services. When issues arise that need to be addressedby the service provider via the inventory system 143, the orderingsystem 145, and the help desk 147, these systems communicate with thecustomer ticket system 133, which creates a ticket, modifies an existingticket, or adds a comment to a ticket. Also, when these systemsdetermine that an issue has been resolved, then they can communicatewith the customer ticket system 133 in order to close an existingticket. Any ticket event that occurs in the customer ticket system 133is communicated to the integration platform 103 via the communicationpath 121 for further processing, as will be discussed below.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an integration platform that integrates acustomer issue tracking system with a service provider issue trackingsystem, according to an exemplary embodiment. The integration platform103 and associated gateway server 105 provide a system that allows aservice provider ticket system 107 to securely and efficiently interactwith a customer ticket system 133.

The integration platform 103 includes a ticket translation system 201that allows the service provider ticket system 107 and the customerticket system 133 to communicate with one another. The tickettranslation system 201 receives instructions or other information fromthe customer, translates the instructions or other information into aformat that the service provider's system can understand, and thenforwards such translated instructions or information to the serviceprovider via the gateway server 105. Conversely, the ticket translationsystem 201 also receives instructions or other information from theservice provider via the gateway server 105, translates the instructionsor other information into a format that the customer's system canunderstand, and then forwards such translated instructions orinformation to the customer. The gateway server 105 includes anauthentication, authorization and accounting (AAA) system 211 thatprovides a secure communication channel 213 by which communicationsbetween customer(s) and the service provider can be sent. The gatewayserver 105 essentially provides the customer's system with the abilityto communicate with and thus effectively utilize the service provider'sticket system 170, without providing the customer with unfettered accessto the service provider network 101. The gateway server 105 alsoprovides a convenient way to bill customers for services provided to thecustomer through the use of the integration platform 103.

One manner in which a customer can send instructions or otherinformation to the integration platform 103 is by, for example, usingcustomer-to-provider forms to gather customer-to-provider form data 241(which will be discussed in greater detail later), and one manner inwhich a customer can receive instructions or other information from theintegration platform 103 is by, for example, provider-to-customer formsused to gather provider-to-customer form data 243. Such forms used togather form data 241 and 243, and/or the information needed to producesuch forms, can be provided to the customer by the service provider, andthe service provider can update such forms regularly or as needed.

Thus, when it is necessary for ticket information from the customerticket system 133 to be sent to the service provider ticket system 107,then an appropriate customer-to-provider form data 241 is sent from thecustomer ticket system 133 to the ticket translation system 201 of theintegration platform 103 via various communication protocols. Thecustomer-to-provider form data 241 is received by a ticket translationunit 203 that translates the customer ticket information to serviceprovider ticket information. The ticket translation unit 203 has accessto a ticket translation database 205 in order to perform such atranslation. When it is necessary for ticket information from theservice provider ticket system 107 to be sent to the customer ticketsystem 133, then a ticket translation unit 207 receives the serviceprovider ticket and translates the service provider ticket into acustomer ticket. The ticket translation unit 207 also has access to aticket translation database 205 in order to perform such a translation.

The service provider ticket system 107 can be used to perform variousfunctions such as ticket creation using a provider ticket creationmodule 221, ticket modification using a provider ticket modificationmodule 223, addition of comments or other information to a ticket usingan add comments to provider ticket module 225, and ticket closing usinga provider ticket closing module 227. These modules can be activated andutilized either by instructions generated by components of the serviceprovider network 101, for example, as a result of monitoring theservices provided to the customer and components used to provide suchservices, or by instructions generated by the customer and sent to theservice provider network via the integration platform 103.

The customer ticket system 133 also has modules similar to the modulesin the service provider ticket system 107, although such modules willlikely be customized to the customer network 131. Thus, the customerticket system 133 can be used to perform various functions such asticket creation using a provider ticket creation module 231, ticketmodification using a provider ticket modification module 233, additionof comments or other information to a ticket using an add comments toprovider ticket module 235, and ticket closing using a provider ticketclosing module 237. These modules can be activated and utilized eitherby instructions generated by components of the service provider network101, for example, as a result of monitoring the services provided to thecustomer and components used to provide such services, and sent to thecustomer network 131 via the integration platform 103, or by componentsof the customer network 131.

The customer ticket system 133 also includes an integration forms module239 that is initially provided by the service provider as a means forthe customer network 131 to effectively communicate with the integrationplatform 103 and communicate the ordering of services from the serviceprovider network 101. Also, the integration forms module 239 can bemaintained by the customer, the service provider, or both, in order tomake modifications or updates thereto. Thus, the customer can eitheraccess the integration forms module 239 directly in order to passinstructions or other information to the integration platform 103, orthe customer can access the modules 231, 233, 235, and 237, which willthen utilize the appropriate integration form from the integration formsmodule 239 in order to generate and send the appropriatecustomer-to-provider form data 241 to the integration platform 103.Also, the integration forms module 239 can receive provider-to-customerform data 243 from the integration platform 103 that containinstructions or other information from the service provider ticketsystem 107, and then pass such instructions or other information on tothe appropriate module 231, 233, 235, or 237.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of an integration platform 103, according to anexemplary embodiment. The integration platform 103 is configured tocommunicate with one or more customer networks using one or morecommunication links 301, and communicates with the service providernetwork using one or more communication links 303. A customer firewall305 is provided, for example, on an edge device external to theintegration platform 103. The integration platform includes the tickettranslation system 201, an issue management module 307, an assetmanagement module 309, an order management module 311, and a database313, which can either be the same as or in addition to the tickettranslation database 205 depicted in FIG. 2.

The issue management module 307 can be used to monitor issues that arisewith the customer network 131, for example, issues that are communicatedto the integration platform 103 using the help desk 147. The assetmanagement module 309 can be used to monitor assets of the customernetwork 131, for example, asset issues that are communicated to theintegration platform 103 using the inventory system 143. The ordermanagement module 311 can be used to monitor order placed using thecustomer network 131, for example, orders that are communicated to theintegration platform using the ordering system 145. The issue managementmodule 307, the asset management module 309, and the order managementmodule 311 can all monitor the status of respective operations on thecustomer network 131, and can each store information on the database 313for later retrieval and analysis or for historical purposes.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a customer-initiated process for communicationof an issue tracking ticket, according to an exemplary embodiment, andFIG. 5 is a flowchart of a service provider-initiated process forcommunication of an issue tracking ticket, according an exemplaryembodiment.

In FIG. 4, a customer initiates a process for communication of an issuetracking ticket. For example, the customer may initiate such a processby submitting a ticket creation request using the customer ticketcreation module 231, or a ticket modification request using the customerticket modification module 233, or an add comment request using the addcomments to customer ticket module 235, or a ticket close request usingthe customer ticket closing module 237, or even by submitting a requestusing the integration forms module 239. For example, such requests canbe submitted via the inventory system 143, the ordering system 145, orthe help desk 147. Then, the integration forms module 239 will selectthe appropriate customer-to-provider form to gather thecustomer-to-provider form data 241, and in step 401 the customer ticketwill be submitted to the integration platform 103 as thecustomer-to-provider form data 241. Then, in step 403, the tickettranslation system 201 of the integration platform 103 will receive thecustomer-to-provider form data 241 via the customer firewall 305. Then,the ticket translation unit 203 of the ticket translation system 201will translate the customer ticket information to service providerticket information, and update one or both of the ticket translationdatabase 205 and database 313 with such ticket information.

Then, in step 405, the integration platform will send to the gatewayserver 105 a request for a provider ticket, which will now be in aformat that the service provider ticket system 107 can understand andwill contain the instruction or other information from the originalcustomer ticket request. The gateway server 105 acts as a gateway to theservice provider network 101. The request sent to the gateway server 105is bound for the service provider ticket system 107, and will include arequest to create or modify a provider ticket, add a comment to aprovider ticket, or even close a ticket, if the customer has initiatedsuch a closure request. The gateway server 105 will receive a responseticket to the request from the service provider network 101, and, instep 407, the gateway server 105 will send the response ticket to theintegration platform 103.

Then, the ticket translation system 201 of the integration platform 103will receive the response ticket, and, in step 409, the tickettranslation unit 207 of the ticket translation system 201 will translatethe response ticket, and update one or both of the ticket translationdatabase 205 and database 313 with such information. The tickettranslation unit 207 puts the response ticket into an appropriateprovider-to-customer form to gather the provider-to-customer form data243, and, in step 411, the translated response ticket is sent to thecustomer as the provider-to-customer form data 243. The customer ticketsystem 133 receives and processes the provider-to-customer form data243, and, in step 413, the customer ticket system 133 is updated toreflect the response information.

In FIG. 5, a service provider initiates a process for communication ofan issue tracking ticket. For example, the service provider may initiatesuch a process in response to problems that are detected by monitoringof the customer network 131 by the service provider network 101 ormodules in the integration platform, or even as a follow-up to previousrequests from the customer. In such a situation a ticket will be issuedby the service provider ticket system 107 in response to the initiatinginstructions or other information, and such information will be sent tothe customer (or “published”). The service provider ticket will beforwarded to the gateway server 105, and, in step 501, the ticket willbe submitted to the integration platform 103 by the gateway server 105.

Then, the ticket translation system 201 of the integration platform 103will receive the provider ticket, and, in step 503, the tickettranslation unit 207 of the ticket translation system 201 will translatethe ticket, and update one or both of the ticket translation database205 and database 313 with such information. The ticket translation unit207 puts the response into an appropriate provider-to-customer form togather the provider-to-customer form data 243, and, in step 505, thetranslated ticket is sent to the customer as the provider-to-customerform data 243. The customer ticket system 133 receives and processes theprovider-to-customer form data 243, and, in step 507, the customerticket system 133 is updated to reflect the ticket information, and aresponse ticket is generated, for example, through thecreation/modification of a ticket.

In step 509, the response ticket is submitted to the integrationplatform 103 using an appropriate customer-to-provider form to gatherthe customer-to-provider form data 241. Then, in step 511, the tickettranslation system 201 of the integration platform 103 will receive thecustomer-to-provider form data 241 via the customer firewall 305. Then,the ticket translation unit 203 of the ticket translation system 201will translate the customer response ticket to service provider ticketinformation, and update one or both of the ticket translation database205 and database 313 with such ticket information.

Then, in step 513, the integration platform 103 will send to the gatewayserver 105 a response ticket, which will now be in a format that theservice provider ticket system 107 can understand and will contain theresponse or other information from the customer response ticket. Thegateway server 105 acts as a gateway to the service provider network101. The response ticket sent to the gateway server 105 is bound for theservice provider ticket system 107, and will include a response ticketthat can be used to modify, update, close, etc. the original providerticket.

The processes described herein may be implemented via software, hardware(e.g., general processor, Digital Signal Processing (DSP) chip, anApplication Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), Field Programmable GateArrays (FPGAs), etc.), firmware or a combination thereof. Such exemplaryhardware for performing the described functions is detailed below.

FIG. 6 illustrates computing hardware (e.g., computer system) 600 uponwhich an embodiment according to the invention can be implemented. Thecomputer system 600 includes a bus 601 or other communication mechanismfor communicating information and a processor 603 coupled to the bus 601for processing information. The computer system 600 also includes mainmemory 605, such as a random access memory (RAM) or other dynamicstorage device, coupled to the bus 601 for storing information andinstructions to be executed by the processor 603. Main memory 605 canalso be used for storing temporary variables or other intermediateinformation during execution of instructions by the processor 603. Thecomputer system 600 may further include a read only memory (ROM) 607 orother static storage device coupled to the bus 601 for storing staticinformation and instructions for the processor 603. A storage device609, such as a magnetic disk or optical disk, is coupled to the bus 601for persistently storing information and instructions.

The computer system 600 may be coupled via the bus 601 to a display 611,such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), liquid crystal display, active matrixdisplay, or plasma display, for displaying information to a computeruser. An input device 613, such as a keyboard including alphanumeric andother keys, is coupled to the bus 601 for communicating information andcommand selections to the processor 603. Another type of user inputdevice is a cursor control 615, such as a mouse, a trackball, or cursordirection keys, for communicating direction information and commandselections to the processor 603 and for controlling cursor movement onthe display 611.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the processes describedherein are performed by the computer system 600, in response to theprocessor 603 executing an arrangement of instructions contained in mainmemory 605. Such instructions can be read into main memory 605 fromanother computer-readable medium, such as the storage device 609.Execution of the arrangement of instructions contained in main memory605 causes the processor 603 to perform the process steps describedherein. One or more processors in a multi-processing arrangement mayalso be employed to execute the instructions contained in main memory605. In alternative embodiments, hard-wired circuitry may be used inplace of or in combination with software instructions to implement theembodiment of the invention. Thus, embodiments of the invention are notlimited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software.

The computer system 600 also includes a communication interface 617coupled to bus 601. The communication interface 617 provides a two-waydata communication coupling to a network link 619 connected to a localnetwork 621. For example, the communication interface 617 may be adigital subscriber line (DSL) card or modem, an integrated servicesdigital network (ISDN) card, a cable modem, a telephone modem, or anyother communication interface to provide a data communication connectionto a corresponding type of communication line. As another example,communication interface 617 may be a local area network (LAN) card (e.g.for Ethernet™ or an Asynchronous Transfer Model (ATM) network) toprovide a data communication connection to a compatible LAN. Wirelesslinks can also be implemented. In any such implementation, communicationinterface 617 sends and receives electrical, electromagnetic, or opticalsignals that carry digital data streams representing various types ofinformation. Further, the communication interface 617 can includeperipheral interface devices, such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB)interface, a PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card InternationalAssociation) interface, etc. Although a single communication interface617 is depicted in FIG. 6, multiple communication interfaces can also beemployed.

The network link 619 typically provides data communication through oneor more networks to other data devices. For example, the network link619 may provide a connection through local network 621 to a hostcomputer 623, which has connectivity to a network 625 (e.g. a wide areanetwork (WAN) or the global packet data communication network nowcommonly referred to as the “Internet”) or to data equipment operated bya service provider. The local network 621 and the network 625 both useelectrical, electromagnetic, or optical signals to convey informationand instructions. The signals through the various networks and thesignals on the network link 619 and through the communication interface617, which communicate digital data with the computer system 600, areexemplary forms of carrier waves bearing the information andinstructions.

The computer system 600 can send messages and receive data, includingprogram code, through the network(s), the network link 619, and thecommunication interface 617. In the Internet example, a server (notshown) might transmit requested code belonging to an application programfor implementing an embodiment of the invention through the network 625,the local network 621 and the communication interface 617. The processor603 may execute the transmitted code while being received and/or storethe code in the storage device 609, or other non-volatile storage forlater execution. In this manner, the computer system 600 may obtainapplication code in the form of a carrier wave.

The term “computer-readable medium” as used herein refers to any mediumthat participates in providing instructions to the processor 603 forexecution. Such a medium may take many forms, including but not limitedto non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media.Non-volatile media include, for example, optical or magnetic disks, suchas the storage device 609. Volatile media include dynamic memory, suchas main memory 605. Transmission media include coaxial cables, copperwire and fiber optics, including the wires that comprise the bus 601.Transmission media can also take the form of acoustic, optical, orelectromagnetic waves, such as those generated during radio frequency(RF) and infrared (IR) data communications. Common forms ofcomputer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexibledisk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM,CDRW, DVD, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, opticalmark sheets, any other physical medium with patterns of holes or otheroptically recognizable indicia, a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM,any other memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wave, or any other mediumfrom which a computer can read.

Various forms of computer-readable media may be involved in providinginstructions to a processor for execution. For example, the instructionsfor carrying out at least part of the embodiments of the invention mayinitially be borne on a magnetic disk of a remote computer. In such ascenario, the remote computer loads the instructions into main memoryand sends the instructions over a telephone line using a modem. A modemof a local computer system receives the data on the telephone line anduses an infrared transmitter to convert the data to an infrared signaland transmit the infrared signal to a portable computing device, such asa personal digital assistant (PDA) or a laptop. An infrared detector onthe portable computing device receives the information and instructionsborne by the infrared signal and places the data on a bus. The busconveys the data to main memory, from which a processor retrieves andexecutes the instructions. The instructions received by main memory canoptionally be stored on storage device either before or after executionby processor.

While certain exemplary embodiments and implementations have beendescribed herein, other embodiments and modifications will be apparentfrom this description. Accordingly, the invention is not limited to suchembodiments, but rather to the broader scope of the presented claims andvarious obvious modifications and equivalent arrangements.

1. A system comprising: an integration platform configured tocommunicate with a first issue tracking system and a second issuetracking system, wherein said integration platform is configured totranslate an issue tracking ticket from a form recognizable by the firstissue tracking system into a form recognizable by the second issuetracking system; and a gateway server configured to controlcommunications between said integration platform and one of the firstissue tracking system and the second issue tracking system.
 2. Thesystem according to claim 1, wherein the issue tracking ticket includesone or more of instructions to create a new issue tracking ticket,instructions to modify an existing issue tracking ticket, instructionsto add a comment or other information to an existing issue trackingticket, and instructions to close an existing issue tracking ticket. 3.The system according to claim 1, further comprising a service providerissue tracking system as the second issue tracking system, wherein saidgateway server is configured to control communications between saidintegration platform and said service provider issue tracking system. 4.The system according to claim 3, wherein said service provider issuetracking system is configured to send a response ticket in response tothe translated issue tracking ticket.
 5. The system according to claim4, wherein said integration platform is configured to translate theresponse ticket from a form recognizable by the second issue trackingsystem into a form recognizable by the first issue tracking system. 6.The system according to claim 3, wherein said gateway server includes anauthentication, authorization and accounting system.
 7. The systemaccording to claim 1, further comprising: an integration forms moduleconfigured to send integration form data to said integration platformbased on the issue tracking ticket from the first issue tracking system,wherein said integration forms module is further configured to receiveintegration form data from said integration platform based on thetranslated issue tracking ticket from the second issue tracking system.8. The system according to claim 1, wherein said integration platformincludes: an issue management module configured to monitor and trackissues related to products and/or services provided to a customernetwork, wherein the first issue tracking system is a component of thecustomer network; an asset management module configured to monitor andtrack assets used to provide the products and/or services to thecustomer network; and an order management module configured to monitorand track orders from the customer network related to the productsand/or services for the customer network.
 9. A module comprising: anintegration platform configured to communicate with a first issuetracking system and a second issue tracking system, wherein saidintegration platform is configured to translate an issue tracking ticketfrom a form recognizable by the first issue tracking system into a formrecognizable by the second issue tracking system.
 10. The moduleaccording to claim 9, wherein said integration platform is configured totranslate issue tracking tickets that include one or more ofinstructions to create a new issue tracking ticket, instructions tomodify an existing issue tracking ticket, instructions to add a commentor other information to an existing issue tracking ticket, andinstructions to close an existing issue tracking ticket.
 11. The moduleaccording to claim 9, wherein said integration platform is configured totranslate a response ticket from a form recognizable by the second issuetracking system into a form recognizable by the first issue trackingsystem.
 12. The module according to claim 9, wherein said integrationplatform includes: an issue management module configured to monitor andtrack issues related to products and/or services provided to a customernetwork, wherein the first issue tracking system is a component of thecustomer network; an asset management module configured to monitor andtrack assets used to provide the products and/or services to thecustomer network; and an order management module configured to monitorand track orders from the customer network related to the productsand/or services for the customer network.
 13. A method comprising:receiving an issue tracking ticket from a first issue tracking system;translating the issue tracking ticket; and sending the translated issuetracking ticket to a second issue tracking system, wherein the issuetracking ticket is translated from a form recognizable by the firstissue tracking system into a form recognizable by the second issuetracking system.
 14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the issuetracking ticket includes one or more of instructions to create a newissue tracking ticket, instructions to modify an existing issue trackingticket, instructions to add a comment or other information to anexisting issue tracking ticket, and instructions to close an existingissue tracking ticket.
 15. The method according to claim 13, furthercomprising: using an integration platform to receive the issue trackingticket, translate the issue tracking ticket, and send the translatedissue tracking ticket to the second issue tracking system; andcontrolling communications between the integration platform and thesecond issue tracking system using a gateway server.
 16. The methodaccording to claim 15, wherein communications between the integrationplatform and the second issue tracking system are controlled using anauthentication, authorization and accounting system.
 17. The methodaccording to claim 13, further comprising: receiving a response ticketfrom the second issue tracking system in response to the translatedissue tracking ticket; translating the response ticket; and sending thetranslated response ticket to the first issue tracking system, whereinthe response ticket is translated from a form recognizable by the secondissue tracking system into a form recognizable by the first issuetracking system.
 18. The method according to claim 13, furthercomprising: monitoring and tracking issues related to products and/orservices provided to a customer network, wherein the first issuetracking system is a component of the customer network.
 19. The methodaccording to claim 13, further comprising: monitoring and trackingassets used to provide products and/or services provided to a customernetwork, wherein the first issue tracking system is a component of thecustomer network.
 20. The method according to claim 13, furthercomprising: monitoring and tracking orders from a customer networkrelated to products and/or services provided to a customer network,wherein the first issue tracking system is a component of the customernetwork.